Flooring options for allergy sufferers

TrixA

We're waiting to exchange on a new house which currently has carpet upstairs, on the stairs and the downstairs entrance hall. Downstairs is mainly the original wooden floorboards, plus lino in the more modern kitchen extension.

My partner suffers from allergies so we'd like to get rid of the carpet, particularly in the bedrooms. I had thought about lifting the carpet and getting the original floorboards sanded and treated, but OH is sceptical as he thinks it will be technically difficult and the result too noisy.

What other types of flooring would people recommend for bedrooms? We don't like laminate, and our budget is unlikely to stretch to laying a new wooden floor over the existing one. We're considering posh vinyl (Karndean or similar cheaper option) Flotex or bamboo. Anyone with experience of any of these, or other suggestions? Both from the perspective of allergies/dust but also attractiveness, durability, noise insulation etc.

I would also appreciate advice on using any of the above products on stairs.

cayennepepper

Karndean is very expensive. I like it and have it in the kitchen but would not have it in the bedroom. Nor would I have lino. If noise is not an issue, I'd remove the carpet and sand/varnish the floorboards and start saving up for a real wood floor.
As for stairs, if you remove the carpet they will become slippery. How bad is the allergy? My son is allergic too but can cope with carpets on the stairs (I vacuum them regularly).

TrixA

cayennepepper wrote: »

Karndean is very expensive. I like it and have it in the kitchen but would not have it in the bedroom. Nor would I have lino. If noise is not an issue, I'd remove the carpet and sand/varnish the floorboards and start saving up for a real wood floor.
As for stairs, if you remove the carpet they will become slippery. How bad is the allergy? My son is allergic too but can cope with carpets on the stairs (I vacuum them regularly).

The house needs other work including a new kitchen so realistically spending a lot of money on a new wood floor isn't going to be a priority, not for the first few years anyway. I'm also not sure it's sensible to spend too much money rescuing the existing floorboards if that's only a short-term solution?

Allergies are quite severe - asthma and recent operation for nasal polyps - but I think OH could probably cope with carpet on the stairs. I did wonder if it would look odd to have carpet on the stairs and nowhere else in the house. Would be worried about slipperiness though as the stairs are quite steep.